R. Kelly has been arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, according to various reports, including NBC News 4 New York, which first broke the story. The singer born Robert Kelly was reportedly arrested in Chicago by Homeland Security Investigators and NYPD detectives but, per NBC News 4, “is expected” to be brought to New York for trial.
According to TMZ and others, Kelly was arrested on 13 charges stemming from an indictment filed in Illinois federal court on Thursday, July 11. Per TMZ, the charges include child pornography and obstruction of justice. Further details of the charges against Kelly will reportedly be announced on Friday, July 12.
The arrest is the latest in an ongoing series of sex crime charges that began in 2002. In February, the R&B singer was charged in Cook County, Ill. with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women. Three of the victims were allegedly minors at the time of the incident, leading to charges of sexual abuse of minors and attempted assault, among other charges.
One month after his arrest, Kelly was sent back to jail for failing to pay the $161,000 he owned his ex-wife Andrea Kelly in child support. In May, he was charged with 11 more counts of sexual abuse and assault in Cook County, in addition to the 10 previous, to which he later pled not guilty.
For more on the allegations against R. Kelly, read our complete timeline.
